Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite, transmitted by mosquitoes, which infects red blood cells. Several species of Plasmodium exist, and cause malaria with varying severity. Plasmodium falciparum causes the most severe disease as the parasite is able to infect red blood cells of any age. These graphs demonstrate the prevalence of two species, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum, over time throughout the world.

The gold standard diagnostic test for malaria is thick and thin blood film. However, this method requires access to a laboratory, microscope with electricity and diagnostic expertise which limits their use in a resource constrained setting. An alternative diagnostic method is a rapid diagnostic test (RDT), which can be done with a drop of blood from finger prick. The chart above (left) demonstrates how many RDTs were distributed per country by year, enabling easier diagnosis of malaria.

The figure on the right demonstrates the top 10 countries in which malaria was treated, per 10,000 population. This mirrors the rates of diagnosis.